ACVECC‐Veterinary Committee on Trauma Registry Report 2013–2017

Abstract

Objective To report summative data from the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Veterinary Committee on Trauma (VetCOT) registry. Design Multi-institutional veterinary trauma registry data report Setting VetCOT identified veterinary trauma centers (VTCs) Animals Dogs and cats with evidence of trauma presented to VTCs with data entered in the VetCOT trauma registry September 1, 2013 – March 31, 2017 Interventions VetCOT created a standardized data collection methodology for dog and cat trauma. Data was input to a web-based data capture system (REDCap) by data entry personnel trained in data software use and operational definitions of data variables. Data on demographics, trauma type (blunt versus penetrating), pre-admission care, hospitalization and intensive care requirement, trauma severity assessment at presentation (e.g., modified Glasgow coma scale [MGCS] and animal trauma triage [ATT] score), key laboratory parameters, necessity for surgical intervention and case outcome were collected. Summary descriptive data for each species are reported. Measurements and main results Twenty-nine VTCs in North America. Europe, and Australia contributed information from17,335 dog and 3,425 cat trauma cases during the 42-months reporting period. A large majority of cases presented directly to the VTC after injury (80.4% dogs, 78.1% cats). Blunt trauma was the most common source for injury in cats (56.7%); penetrating trauma was the most common source for injury in dogs (52.3%). 43.8% of dogs and 36.2% of cats were reported to have surgery performed. The proportion surviving to discharge were 92.0% (dogs) and 82.5% (cats). Conclusions The VetCOT registry proved to be a powerful resource for collection of a large dataset on trauma in dogs and cats seen at VTCs. While overall survival to discharge was quite high, further evaluation of data on subsets of injury types, patient assessment parameters, interventions and associated outcome are warranted.

Comparison of trauma sustained by civilian dogs and deployed military working dogs

“…For all 3 categories of dogs, penetrating injuries were the most common type of trauma, although the proportion for CDs was slightly lower than that for MWDs and OpK9s. This finding is consistent with a previous report from the VetCOT registry that showed penetrating injuries were the most common type of trauma in CDs 6 . The high prevalence of penetrating injuries among MWDs is not surprising considering that 3 of the 4 most common MOIs in these dogs (animal bite/scratch, GSW, and knife/sharp object) all cause a penetrating injury, and the fourth MOI (explosion) often causes both blunt and penetrating injuries.…”

“…This finding is consistent with a previous report from the VetCOT registry that showed penetrating injuries were the most common type of trauma in CDs. 6 The high prevalence of penetrating injuries among MWDs is not surprising considering that 3 of the 4 most common MOIs in these dogs (animal bite/scratch, GSW, and knife/sharp object) all cause a penetrating injury, and the fourth MOI (explosion) often causes both blunt and penetrating injuries. Furthermore, the frequencies of MOIs were substantially different between all 3 groups of dogs.…”

“…a Recently, Hall et al described VetCOT registry data for over 17,000 canine traumas, including the types and mechanisms of injury along with other injury characteristics and outcomes. 6 Importantly, since April 2017, the registry has specifically distinguished operational canines (OpK9s)-which have been defined as a distinct subpopulation of dogs that are asked to perform a service in a high threat or tactical environment 7 -from civilian dogs.…”

“…Robust analysis of civilian dog (CD) data has been made possible in recent years by the efforts of veterinary trauma centers (VTCs) and the Veterinary Committee on Trauma (VetCOT) to establish a prospective animal trauma registry with the intent to help improve trauma patient management, efficiency, and outcomes a . Recently, Hall et al described VetCOT registry data for over 17,000 canine traumas, including the types and mechanisms of injury along with other injury characteristics and outcomes 6 . Importantly, since April 2017, the registry has specifically distinguished operational canines (OpK9s)—which have been defined as a distinct subpopulation of dogs that are asked to perform a service in a high threat or tactical environment 7 —from civilian dogs.…”

SnakeMap: four years of experience with a national small animal snake envenomation registry

“…It is our vision that such a process will allow broad and inclusive research activity across all contributing hospitals and will lead to scientific output that is most relevant to the veterinary community. The Veterinary Committee on Trauma registry, has set a precedence for this approach with several publications authored by registry contributors 21,22 …”